Kennewick’s Vista Field PFAS Soil Test Results Released

In June of this year the Port of Kennewick, who is the primary developer of the Vista Field project at the old airport, was informed that a soil sample collected by a property owner from a utility trench contained levels of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances. 

Those substances (commonly known as PFAs chemicals) have been widely used in countless products for over seven decades.  Fire fighting foam is just one example of many things PFAs chemicals can be found in, others include (but aren't limited to) non-stick cookware, de-icing chemicals, as well as water, stain, and grease resistant products.

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After the soil results came back positive, the Port then gathered more samples from that property and from the larger Vista Field area to validate the first test and see if there were issues elsewhere.  In August they sent 47 soil samples out for further analysis.

The Results Of The PFAs Soil Testing Is In

The Port's Board of Commissioners received the full report at their meeting yesterday (September 23rd) and the news was as good as could be expected.  The PFAs levels from all the samples, save one, show extremely low levels of the forever chemicals and are below the state cleanup levels.

Landau Associates, who was hired to do the sampling at standards that meet the Department of Ecology's, are preparing the full report that will be delivers to the state DOE in the fall.  Port CEO Tim Arntzen said about the results:

Today’s report is very good news! The Port believes that Ecology’s response will provide a good direction for next steps as we continue working to transform that former airfield into a regional town center.

Once DOE reviews the results they will provide the when and how for the Port, and the property owners at Vista Field, to move forward.